NY police say ‘Muslim Community Patrol’ car not sanctioned by them

New York’s Muslim community created a “security patrol” in Brooklyn’s Bay Ridge neighborhood in November of 2018. The “Muslim Community Patrol” car is outfitted to look like an NYPD vehicle, complete with a nearly identical logo.

But the police department told PJ Media that the vehicle is not sanctioned by the department and that it must obey the law.

It should be noted that other racial and religious groups in New York City have community patrols as well.

When the Brooklyn Asian Safety Patrol (BASP) launched in 2014, it had close ties to the police department. “They are our eyes and ears,” NYPD Deputy Inspector James Grant, who helped start the program, told the Post in 2014. The group received civilian-observation-patrol training from the NYPD, as well as support from the volunteer Jewish watch group Shomrim.

The BASP launched with a team of 15 Asian-American residents, walkie-talkies, uniforms, and two NYPD-style patrol cars. Its members – like those of Shomrim – do not have the authority to stop and detain people, but they call 911 if they witness a crime or spot someone acting suspiciously. NYPD officers will then come and stop, question, and frisk people if warranted.